Dominant Paradigms Overturned or ‘Business as Usual’? Development Discourse and the White Paper on International Development

Using the Department for International Development’s recent White Paper on Development as a case study, this article critically reassesses Escobar’s notion of development discourse. Rather than being monolithic and static, as Escobar and others have implied, the writers argue that changes can and do take place within development organizations. Not only does the White Paper clearly signal a new direction in policy; it also results both from changes within DFID – in personnel and in the balance of power between interest groups – and between DFID and civil society.